LUCKNOW: Chief Minister Mayawati's demand to split Uttar Pradesh into four smaller states has figured just perfunctorily in her poll campaign so far, highlighting her inability to turn it into an election issue.

The proposal, rushed through the state assembly and sent to the Centre just before campaigning began for the ongoing polls, now finds mention only towards the end of her speeches. In Unnao on Sunday, for example, the chief minister only reminded the audience that the Congress-led central government had 'failed' to act on the resolution.

"The people in general seem indifferent to the issue of creation of smaller states out of UP," says Professor AK Pandey, director of the Centre for Study of Social Exclusion and Inclusive Policy at the Banaras Hindu University.

"It largely stems from their realisation that the issue is being raised not for the development of the region but for political motives." Professor Sudhir Panwar of Lucknow University, who is also the president of the Kisan Jagriti Manch, blames Mayawati for not having projected the issue properly.

"She did not put faces to the movement who could have inspired and rallied supporters," says Panwar, "She failed to project local leadership from the Bahujan Samaj Party in these four regions."

As per the resolution passed by the state assembly on November 21, 2011, the state should be divided into Purvanchal (eastern UP), Paschim Pradesh (western UP), Avadh Pradesh (central UP) and Bundelkhand, the drought-stricken region which shares its borders with Madhya Pradesh.

The resolution was passed without discussion with- in minutes amid a walk- out by the opposition parties. The government then forwarded the resolution to the Centre asking it to fast-track the demand. The Samajwadi Party, Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party all termed the proposal as an attempt by the ruling party to divert attention from its misrule ahead of the state polls.

While the Ajit Singh-led Rashtriya Lok Dal had been an old proponent of a separate state for western UP, the party piped down on the issue ever since it joined hands with Congress in the state. Though Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav has been an opponent of UP's division, he has not been raising the issue, probably so that his friend-turned-rival Amar Singh does not get an opportunity to score easy points.

Singh's newlyformed Rashtriya Lok Manch party has based its campaign largely on the creation of Purvanchal state. The Bundelkhand Congress, led by TV actorturned-activist Raja Bundela is the only leader seriously highlighting the issue in these polls. Mayawati's move put Congress in the spot since it had been struggling to deal with the demand of a separate Telangana.

Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi has been fighting shy of addressing the issue throughout his election campaign. At a recent press conference, he said the issue should be referred to the State Reorganisation Commission.

Analysts point out, however, that had the state government been really serious about the proposal it would not have sent it to the Centre with no mention of the districts to be included in each of the four states, the proposed capitals and the manner in which the state resources would be shared.